Brick by brick: Monroeville resident gains confidence, hones Lego craft

Andrew Szczerba became interested in building with Lego after “The Lego Movie” was released in 2014.

“I bought my first kit at Toys “R” Us,” Szczerba recalled. “It was a trash compactor from ‘The Lego Movie’ set.”

A little more than a decade later, the 20-year-old Monroeville resident has about 50 kits on display at home and five sets that are “My Own Creation” — better known as MOCs to Lego fans — which refers to a builder’s own custom model.

“Andrew is just getting comfortable enough to branch out and start doing more of his own creations,” his mother Ellen Szczerba said.

Andrew uses websites such as BrickLink to design his MOCs.

“It’s basically an online architectural tool,” Andrew said. “So I can build digitally before physically building.”

Once the mockup is complete, Andrew orders the exact bricks he needs online or uses Lego from his own collection.

One of Szczerba’s MOCs is of the Monroeville Public Library. It took him about a week to build, and he plans to donate his model to the library at the end of the month.

About a dozen of Andrew’s builds are on display at the library, 4000 Gateway Campus Blvd., through March. They include a typewriter and piano (both with movable keys), an original Nintendo Entertainment System, jazz band, globe and Disney castle. One favorite that didn’t make it into the display case is Vincent van Gogh’s famous “Starry Night” painting.

Andrew, who is on the autism spectrum, is a senior at Spectrum Charter School and takes multimedia design classes at Forbes Road Career Technology Center.

“He’s learned so much about creating and editing at Forbes Road,” his mother said. “They have given Andrew the skills to develop and perfect his craft.”

In 2022, Andrew began volunteering at the library twice a week. He puts books and DVDs on hold for customers, scans inventory and prepares items to be sent to other libraries.

He also has a YouTube channel that he started more than four years ago, and now has more than 3,000 subscribers. The channel — Youtube.com/BrickMeisterZ — is where Andrew talks all things Lego – set review, news and speed builds.

After graduation, Andrew plans to attend the Community College of Allegheny County and study multimedia. He’d like to work at the Lego store at Ross Park Mall and maybe become a designer or possibly a Lego employee.

“Hopefully this is the next step in my life,” Andrew said.

“I’m just so proud of how well he’s done. Being on the autism spectrum didn’t prohibit Andrew from pursing his dreams,” his mother said. “Individuals like Andrew just need to be given the opportunity to succeed. The library, Spectrum (school) and Forbes Road (school) … they all gave him that opportunity.”